W.H. emails on Solyndra underscore high hopes

White House emails released Friday underscore the high hopes that once surrounded now-defunct Solyndra.

In one email, two Obama administration officials discussed an A-list of political celebrities Solyndra hoped to attract to its 2009 groundbreaking — from former President Jimmy Carter and former Vice President Al Gore to Bishop Desmond Tutu, billionaire Richard Branson and Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

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In the email exchange, Steve Spinner — a top adviser to DOE’s energy loan guarantee program — pushed Peter Gage, the director of the DOE scheduling office, to get DOE’s invitations to the event delivered quickly so that Solyndra could deliver its invitations as well.

“DOE will do our calls quickly, then Solyndra can start theirs,” Gage replied.

Earlier that year, Solyndra officials hoped an early visit from President Barack Obama would give them a PR boost and draw more private investors, the emails released Friday show.

In a March 13, 2009, email to Greg Nelson, then the associate director for energy, environment and technology in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement, a lobbyist hired by Solyndra touted the news that the company was lined up to be the first announced loan guarantee in the program.

“With the 1000s of jobs the Company has and will create and the technological leadership they have carved out for America, I thought this might be an ideal company for the President to highlight in his upcoming trip to California,” David Prend of RockPort Capital Partners wrote to Nelson.

“Solyndra must still raise over $200 million in matching private equity according to the terms of the loan guarantee program,” Prend wrote. “In the current economic environment, they could use all the positive publicity they can get.”

Emily Baker, the director of federal policy and political advocacy for the National Venture Capital Association, was copied on that email, and she replied excitedly about the prospect of a presidential visit.